Pegasus Bridge & Mémorial Pegasus
Pont Pegasus
The first battle of D-Day: British glider troops swooped in just after midnight to seize the canal bridge, and the original bridge is now displayed in the memorial museum.
Shortly after midnight on 6 June 1944, glider troops of Britain's 6th Airborne Division landed with precision a few dozen metres from the Bénouville canal bridge and took it within ten minutes. It was the first battle of D-Day. The original swing bridge was later replaced, and the old bridge, together with a replica Horsa glider, is now displayed in the nearby Pegasus Memorial. Admission is about 8 to 9 euros. The Gondrée Café at the bridgehead is considered the first house in France to be liberated, and it is still in business today. The site is about 10 km from Caen.
Opening hours
Memorial approx. 09:30–18:30 (shorter in winter; closed December–January)
Nearby sights
- Merville Gun Battery
- Château de Caen
- Abbaye aux Hommes (Saint-Étienne)
- Mémorial de Caen
- Juno Beach Centre
- British Normandy Memorial
- Arromanches & Mulberry Harbour
- Bayeux Tapestry Museum